Yada Yada Yada Meaning
Definition: Meaningless chitchat.
Sometimes this expression and blah blah blah are used interchangeably.
Origin of Yada Yada
This idiom first appeared in America in the first half of the 1900s. It has several written forms including yadda. It likely derives from the word yatter, which means to talk incessantly or chatter.
Additionally, the famous show Seinfeld popularized this expression in one of its episodes.
Examples of Yada Yada
Here is an example of a math professor and her student using the idiom.
Student: I think we shouldn’t have any homework today.
Teacher: Why is that?
Student: Well, it’s sort of a long story, but it all starts with the basketball game that’s coming up this weekend. The other athletes and I have so much to do to prepare, like go over strategies, lots of drills, yada yada yada. The details are unimportant, but, basically, we’re just too busy.
Teacher: Sorry. Basketball isn’t a good enough excuse to not have homework.
Student: Come on! Have a heart!
Teacher: Page 137. Due tomorrow.
In this example, two friends are discussing a book they are reading for their book club.
Monica: Have you started reading that book for our book club yet?
Janice: Not yet. Have you?
Monica: Yeah. It’s not very exciting.
Janice: What’s it about?
Monica: Well, it’s just sort of predictable. There’s a poor young girl who falls in love with a prince. Yada yada. They fall in love and live happily ever after.
Janice: Yikes! That does sound boring.
Monica: I know. We should make our own recommendation for the next book.
More Examples
This excerpt uses the expression to de-emphasize previous wins.
- “That’s what we’re playing for,” Scherzer said. “I know the 19 wins, yada, yada yada, but the most important thing is the team wins. Would love to have Game 5 here at Nationals Park facing the Dodgers. In a short series, home-field advantage matters.” –Washington Post
The second excerpt uses the expression to emphasize that common utterances about a failing team are meaningless.
- That’s supposed to be the deal in this town — or every town, really — when a team in any sport is not performing to expectations.
It comes with the territory, yada, yada, yada. That sort of thing. –New York Daily News
Summary
Yada yada is a substitute for unimportant details within a story.
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